You've Gotta Live Another Day
by saxicolous
Summary: The cave's safety is put on high alert when a strange girl is 'saved' from the outside. They soon discover a whole system of rebellion happening between souls and humans even souls vs. souls. Undercover spies, systems crumbling, and RUSSIANS! Enjoy!
1. Stranger

Chapter 1: Stranger

The silence woke me. I had grown so aquaited to the vibrating sounds of Jeb's snoring; I'm pretty sure carried through to everyone's room. Or the occasional complaints voiced by Lacey that wake the majority of our little civilization up.

But, what really worried me was the murmuring coming from far away that I strained to listen to. It sounded as if it were coming from the hospital, in which case making it top secret. My curiosity got the better of me.

I quietly slipped from Ian's grasp his immediate involuntary action was to sprawl out on the bed all limbs covering it. I- or should I say my body- let out a soft giggle. My hand stealthily opened the door, and closed it without so much as a thud, something I picked up from Ian. And thus, my investigation began.

As I made my way down the hall I realized I may not like what I found in the hospital just like before. I shuddered at the thought of silver blood. _No_, I reasoned they wouldn't be doing anything I wouldn't like. Jeb had promised, and I believed him. Anyways if I was needed for any emergency raid I would be there to help.

The murmuring was becoming clear now, "What the hell, Jared you probably led the seekers straight to us!" Kyle hissed.

"Oh, like you almost killed us all by getting Jodi?" Mel used a more even tone.

"Kyle, if I didn't go we might as well been discovered anyways. She was screaming bloody murder out there." Jared's voice came up tired, and strained, unusual for him.

I turned the corner and I was blinded by the bright oil lamp shining in the center of the room. Scalpels and other medical supplies were ever so neatly placed along a mat. I smiled when I saw Mel Holding a thrumming cryotank. Jared looked like the dead barely keeping his eyes open and hand close by Jeb's gun. Kyle looked livelier than all of them combined back straight, and scowling ever so often. Doc was hovering over a girl-a young girl possibly twelve or thirteen- light brown hair spilled over the cot. Her body was shockingly dirty perhaps from wandering around in the desert. Clearly Doc had extracted a soul.

When I first came into view no one was shocked to see me. Even Kyle, being on edge, didn't so much throw me a glance. Maybe I was to quiet. I didn't want to appear nosey so I continued to stay quiet, and slipped next to Doc. As soon as I sat down the girl gasped. All the eyes in the room turned to her.

Doc jumped on the opportunity of her consciousness by pulling out his flashlight. "Hello, are you alright-"He stopped suddenly when the girl grunted and opened her eyes.

The girl looked around, and seeming pleased with herself she closed her eyes, and yawned. "U menya vsyo khorosho," she whispered.

Kyle's voice interrupted the quiet that had proceeded, "well, that was unexpected."

Doc and I got up from our crouching positions. I was shocked to find Ian behind me leaning on the rock wall. He smiled at me, my heart jumped and of course I blushed. I leaned against Ian his very scent overpowered me and I succumbed to his warmth. But he seemed tense, "What happened? I thought we decided to wait until we had a plan to start kidnapping souls off the streets." Ah, that's why. He was always looking out for me. I rolled my eyes while I was still hidden against his chest.

Jared sighed, "I know, I know, but it's not like that. " He sighed again he clearly needed some sleep, "Jeb woke me up because he spotted-well heard-a soul wandering around screaming something about killing herself." I shuddered at the thought. "So Jeb, and I drove out to pick her up before some seeker found her. " I think everyone shuddered at the thought of seekers.

Jared was going to start again, but Kyle interrupted. "You took the bait? We're all screwed now!"

"Shut up, Kyle." Mel said with a groan. Kyle muttered something about being at code red, and stalked out of the room.

Jared continued, "Anyways, we took her to Doc, and here we all are."

"Indeed," Doc started, "but that doesn't explain the fact the soul was English speaking, and her host was clearly _not_."


	2. Unrest

Would you believe it's been almost a year since I posted this? Well it almost has. Hehehe. Anyways I guess it would be good to finally give chapter dos. Especially with all the movie hype!*wink*

"Who's hurt?" Jamie asked me as he sat down for breakfast. I furrowed my eyebrows unaware of what he was referring to. "I saw a bunch of people crowded around the entrance to the hospital. I was too hungry to stay and find out." I grinned at his last statement. I suppose Jamie's stomach trumps his curiosity any day.

"Jared found a soul wandering around last night." I left out the part about her screaming about suicide. A part of me still wanted to protect him from those things. "He brought her in and Doc extracted the soul." I continued as Jamie scarfed down the last bits of grits we have left. This reminds me, we have to go on a raid soon. Suddenly my chest feels empty as I remember the last time we went on a raid. It's not like we were almost caught or anything. It's just the arguing was awful. I guess I can't blame Jared for not entirely trusting Nate, or Nate finding Jared to bossy. But when two strong leaders clash exactly seven minutes after midnight in a small motel surrounded by souls I can't help but feel frightened.

Jeb, unfortunately, found this clash to be healthy for Jared. He said, "the boy needs t' learn how to compromise. Ain't gonna do us any good if he doesn't have an open mind." So he suggested (more like decreed) we always go on raids with our newfound friends. I can't really complain because I enjoy raiding with Burns. He's so much easier to talk with than timid Sunny. He makes me feel like I don't have to lose my soul qualities though I'm helping and living with humans.

Ian's voice roused me from my thoughts of Burns. "Are you okay? You seem tired."

"Oh, no, all of the excitement is keeping me awake," I answer. He smiles at me and sits down. He's wearing a clean plaid shirt with jeans that seem like they've never been stained with the purple dust that finds its way everywhere. Hm, "Your clothes seem very clean. Too clean. What are you up to?"

"Oh, so you just assume I'm up to something just because I look nice?" He counters with fake hurt in his voice.

I smile menacingly, "I never said you look nice."

"But you were thinking it," He says quickly I try to retort but he's too fast. "You think I'm a sex god." I couldn't help but laugh because in that exact moment Jamie, looking a little pale, stood up so abruptly it knocked Ian's grits onto his lap. Ian stared at his jeans with his mouth open.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Ian O'Shea how dare you waste food when we're almost out?" I laugh, but I stop once I realize almost everyone in the Cafeteria has left. Ian notices too. "Did they all go to see the new girl?" I didn't seem likely that everyone would be so interested. Maybe word got around that she speaks a different language.

"I don't know. Let's go see." He said whilst wiping off the food from his jeans.

"Okay, let me just get a ponytail from our room, then-"

"No I'll get it, "he said a bit too nonchalantly. Suspicious, I think.

"Then I guess I'll see you at the hospital." I narrow my eyes at him, and he smiles rather largely.

On the way to the infirmary I wonder what Ian's up to. But I truly have no idea. I mean what would he try to be hiding from me? Nothing comes to mind. Wait, what if it's his birthday? Humans seem to be emotionally attached to the day they entered the world. Whereas souls live forever and really no thought about it. I don't even know or can begin to fathom what day I was born on. Oh great ,something else I can't relate to Ian on. My chest hurts again.

As I approach the hospital I notice people crowded around the door. "Please, please people can we calm down there's-"

"Calm down? How can I be calm when I know someone who showed seekers right to us is still here?" Someone says. I think it may be Brandt.

"She doesn't even speak our language!"

"Now this is ridiculous people!" I hear Jeb's voice of reasoning shout. "There's is no reason to be afraid of her. She's human isn't that enough?" I hear a no and Jeb sighs. "Hm. If you don't get back to chores I'll be sure to kick all of y'all out. Is that clear enough?" A groan ripples in the crowd, and it disperses. I see Ian on the other side. He smiles shaking the ponytail in his hand.

We both walk into the infirmary where Mel is sitting on a cot. Doc is talking to the girl in what I think is really broken German but he doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. And Jeb is muttering about how everyone gets all riled up over nothing.

"Where's Jared?" Ian asks Melanie.

"Asleep." She says a bit tired herself, but there's something else that's bothering her. I just know it. I give her a reassuring smile she smiles back weakly.

I hear Doc sigh, and then say, "Well I'm almost certain she must be Russian, or from a surrounding country."

"How can you tell?" I ask curiously.

He smiles, "I'm a Cold War kid. Years of paranoia makes me certain." Everyone laughs but me.

"What's a Cold War-"

Jeb interrupts me, "don't worry about kid. Okay, so what we need to do is go on a raid." I suppress a groan. "Do you know if there are still translating books out there?" He asks me.

"I know there are travel shops that should have them. I know souls try to preserve as much as a culture as they can." I reason.

"Great, get ready we're goin' on a raid." Jeb says excited. I am not so excited, though.


	3. Spies

**Hiya! Thanks for the reviews! This is chapter 3, so enjoy!**

I let myself in. To the temporary camp that Nate's group set up a while back, that is. They were originally making their way to Mexico where they knew that some other Humans were living comfortably without many seeker problems; But ever since we received word that the soul government had been setting up blockades to 'rid of the human infestation' they decided to be our guests. Of course everyone was fine with this after all a human is a human. I mostly feared how people would react to Burns, but he seems more natural at becoming friends with them than I was. I'm certainly not jealous of that. Or am I? I shake my head to rid of the thoughts.

I'm here to tell Nate about the raid, I remind myself and set off to find his room. They are living in the evacuation center Jeb had planned for just in case something went wrong so it was incredibly dark and being more underground the caves are moister than I'm used to.

I stop in front of Nate's cave door opening ready to knock when I stop because I swear I heard my name. It seems almost like a hiss. I turn around to see who it is, but no one is there or it's too dark to see anyone. I'm ready to knock again but I hear someone from the inside of his room say, "by the way where were you last night?" I'm not well acquainted with their voices so I'm not sure who it is. But he doesn't seem too important because Nate replies to him, "it's really none of your business, is it?" I hear the other guy gruff and start walking to the door. I press up against the rock wall hoping he doesn't see me in the darkness. I do catch who he is though from the faint light from Nate's room casting onto his face- it's Evan. I remember him sitting with my table the other night for dinner. He was courteous always talking about his partner, Ellen with high regard. I wonder why he's so upset now, but I dismissed it because it's not my 'business' as Nate put it.

I want to wait a while before presenting myself to Nate so he doesn't catch on to my unintentional eavesdropping. But he already knows I'm here because he summons me-"come on in, Wanda." I can already feel my cheeks are flaming red.

I quietly step in to see a small mattress on the floor where he sits and a flashlight is pointed up to the wall so light can reflect off the cave's ceiling. He's giving me a big warm smile the one he always wears when greeting someone. I don't understand why he isn't mad at me for listening in on his conversation. I try to ignore it and get back to business. "Erm- Hi Nate Jeb wanted me to come tell you that we're going on a raid."

"It seems sudden. Why so soon?" He asks me. I don't think it's very sudden we haven't been on a raid in almost two months. Maybe he's trying to make me more comfortable by making small talking.

"Well, we are in need of supplies, and there has been a development in the upper caves." I say I'm sure word has reached here about the new girl. Or maybe it hasn't. Suddenly I'm upset with myself for almost telling him about her because what if the people down here get angry about her like the mob did upstairs.

"What new development?" He seems genuinely curious now his eyes furrowed and lips pursed.

I don't want to have to tell him I'll leave it up to Jeb or Jared instead. "I'm sure Jeb will brief you."

He gives his big hearty laugh that has become famous in the caves. "You make me feel like I'm in a spy movie," He laughs again. Once he sees my confused face he raises his voice higher, "_'I'm sure Jeb will brief you.'_" I grin and he says, "Come Agent W. let's assemble our team." And with that we leave.

After our 'team' was assembled consisting of Nate, Burns, Kyle, Aaron (who only wanted to come purely because he didn't trust the new girl, typical), Jared, Ian, and I (Mel didn't want to come because she was feeling ill all day, making me the only girl in the group) Jeb 'briefed' Nate on the mystery girl, Nate winked at me while Jeb was explaining. I rolled my eyes.

Ian looked at me his eyebrows raised I smiled at him. He bent over to kiss me and whispered in my ear to follow him. I took his hand as he led the way to what seems to be our room.

"Close your eyes, I have a surprise," he tells me a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Our room is hardly a surprise. Unless you've cleaned it recently." I say remembering how I didn't get to clean up our clothes from the floor the other day.

He snorts and I close my eyes anyway. I feel goose bumps prickling on my back from his hand barely hovering above my skin.

"Okay, open," I obey and my eyes begin to water because Ian has turned our room into a little star gazing observatorium. There are glow-in-the-dark stars plastered everywhere. Ian has even cleaned up the place which makes me sniffle.

He hands me a Cheetos bag and says "Happy Anniversary, my Wanderer." I quickly run into him to hug him and kiss his face ignoring the crunching Cheetos bag between us.

"Oh, Ian," I say and his 'I love you' words are muffled into my hair. "So it's our first anniversary, eh? It seems really soon."

"Well I do count the first time I gave you Cheetos the time when I snagged your heart." We kiss again.

"Yes, Cheetos are the way to a woman's heart," I joke and much to my dismay he decides we better go just in case they leave without us.

We pass by the infirmary were I see the mystery girl muttering something to herself in Russian, "Kogda oni poluchayut zdesʹ? Medlenno svinyeĭ." There are untouched meals lying beside her cot. Why isn't she eating? Ian seems to be too preoccupied to notice the girls eating habits. I'm sure Doc is taking care of it some way or another, though.

We make our way to where the cars are hidden everything seems to be ready to go. I get into the seat beside Jared he doesn't seem any better from the last time I saw him, but he give me his best smile. Ian and Kyle pile into the back of the car almost getting into a scuffle over which seat belt is whose. Aaron, and Burns go into the bigger truck used for hauling more items than ours.

Nate stops by the passenger side window which is where I'm seated and says, "ready to meet at the top secret location Agent W.?" I assume he means the motel, but I play along and nod very seriously as if I am in a spy movie. He smiles, and goes back to the truck. Once Jared starts the car we're off to the top secret motel.

**Thanks for reading! And remember every review saves a puppy!**


	4. Oblivion

**a/n Woah, look at me not updating again especially after I got encouraging/fantastic reviews! Sorry Tumblr is slowly taking over my life, and I've been so uninspired lately. Bah! On with the story **

I'm not entirely sure what's going on when I wake, but I know we have made it to the motel. Bright lights from Nate's truck behind us flash in the review mirror. I sit up moving away from Ian. I can feel the imprint of his shirt on my body. I yawn trying to shake off my grogginess.

Ian opens his eyes, "how did we end up in the back seat?"

I giggle feeling adrenaline zap my sleepiness. "I'm not entirely sure," I tell him.

He grins and his eyes become half closed, and for a moment I wonder what he's doing. Then I realize he's looking at me quite intently. I flush, "what do I have something on my shirt?" I inspect myself but find no disturbances in my appearance.

"Oh, nothing," he says slightly blushing as well.

I didn't notice Jared was watching us until he spoke up. "You two lovebirds want to go to your room? Burns already booked us," he says a little too sternly. Usually when Jared acts stern he's hiding something. But what?

Ian eyes him carefully but nudges me to file out of the car. "What's his problem?" I ask Ian once we're out of his hearing range.

"Something with Mel. You haven't noticed?" He says slipping his hand into mine.

"No," I am bewildered what could be wrong?

Ian looks around then brings his lips to my ear, "Mel's pregnant. I think Jared isn't handling the news too well."

I am stunned Melanie is pregnant. Why hasn't she told me? Images flood into my mind. They are of Melanie and Jared, and I can hear Jared say, "_I don't want to bring a child into this world_."

Melanie must be devastated.

_No, _a voice chimes in my head,_ she's too strong for that._

Ian pulls me through the doors of the motel room where I can see Kyle already lounging on the second bed in the room.

"Jared can sleep on the couch this time, hmph," he says when he sees I'm holding back laughter.

"Are you sure? You and Jared could always _share,"_ Ian says nonchalantly. By this time I'm doubled over with giggles. I cling to Ian's shirt to keep from falling.

"I don't think so," Kyle retorts.

"Sharing is caring, bro," Ian keeps his mouth perfectly straight even though I've already begun snorting.

"No," Kyle says finally.

Ian looks down at me and breaks into a big smile. For a moment we stare at each other. I hope I can stay in the simple euphoria I get just by looking at him. He cups my chin in his hand. "You should get some sleep," his voice cracks slightly from lack of rest.

"Okay," I say and slowly sit down pulling Ian with me. I kiss him maneuver us farther down so we are laying together. I hear a groan from across the room, its Kyle putting a pillow on his face.

Ian and I laugh as we tangle ourselves underneath the blankets.

"Good night, Ian," I whisper but his eyes are already closing.

He smiles slightly before replying, "G'night."

**This was supposed to be longer but I am horribly lazy. Please review! Even if you don't like it :)**


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